Our People
Students
Buxton enrolls between 90-95 students a year, of which nearly 90% board at the school. Our students come from all over the world, but are united in the core belief of the value of community, creative expression and academic achievement.
All of our students go on to further study, with the majority choosing small, liberal arts colleges that share values with Buxton.
Faculty
The faculty and staff at Buxton are committed to the school, our philosophy of learning and our students. Many have advanced degrees and most have significant teaching experience. They are given great freedom to design their own courses and respond with flexibility and sensitivity to specific groups and individuals.
All teaching families and most teachers live at the school. Along with teaching in the classroom, faculty members have leadership, administrative, and caretaking responsibilities.
At Buxton, students and faculty share their lives in ways both mundane and profound, forming bonds that range far beyond the typical classroom interactions. Over the course of a day, you might be woken up by your math teacher, eat lunch with your French teacher, and sing next to your English teacher during a chorus rehearsal.
We see the development of honest and caring friendships between adults and students not just as a lucky by-product of our program but as an educational goal in and of itself.
Progressive education Fellows
Since 1928, Buxton has been training teachers in the theory and practice of progressive education. Starting with the 2019-2020 school year, we have begun offering an exciting new opportunity designed especially for starting teachers: the Progressive Education Teaching Fellowship.
Over the course of a single year, our Teaching Fellows receive constant support and training as they enter the world of progressive education. With access to and support from expert teachers and administrators, our Teaching Fellows participate in the life of the school, observe classes, discuss the theory and practice of teaching, and ultimately design and lead their own courses. Each Fellowship comes with a stipend, as well as room and board at the school’s beautiful campus in the Berkshires.
By the end of this intensive but supportive year of training, our Teaching Fellows have a deep grounding in progressive education. The Fellowship provides an unparalleled way to start a career in education – but is also just an incredible year in its own right!
Applications are now open for our 2020-21 Fellowship. To find out more, and to apply, please contact our Associate Director, Peter Beck, at peter.beck@buxtonschool.org
Administration and Staff
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Ben Ripley (2007) Associate DirectorB.A. St. John’s College NM, M.F.A. School of the Art Institute of Chicago
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Mike St.Pierre (1980) Director of Campus Facilities
Faculty
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David Bluestein ’08 (2016)
M.A.T Earlham College. Chemistry, Algebra II, Psychology, Main House Dormitory
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Linda Kathryn Burlak (1988)
B.A. Carleton College; M.S. Cornell University Physics, Biology, Marine Science, Astronomy, Academic Dean, Testing Advisor,
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Nyasha Franklin ’15 (2019) Faculty Fellow
B.A. Mount Holyoke College
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Frank Jackson (2007)
BFA Virginia Commonwealth University; MFA University of California at Davis Painting, Drawing, Life Drawing
Basketball -
Adrian Lash-St. John ’00 (2004)
B.A. Bennington College
Algebra II, Intro to Trigonometry, Calculus
Skiing and Snowboarding, Work Program -
Amrita Lash-St. John ’99 (2003)
B.A. Bennington College
Ceramics, Folk Singing -
Brette Lennon (2020) Faculty Fellow
B.A Anthropology, B.A Environmental Studies, Tufts University
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Stuart McKenzie (2020)
B.A. Music & Chemistry, Amherst College, Music I,II,III
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Kathleen Oliver (1987)
African, Caribbean and Balinese Dance, Drumming and Percussion, Gamelan
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Kevin Reilly (2020)
Williams College, BA in English, 2002
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, MEd, Secondary English, 2013
Center for Cartoon Studies, MFA, 2019, English I, Creative Writing -
Ben Ripley ’99 (2007)
B.A. St. John’s College NM, M.F.A. School of the Art Institute of Chicago Geometry, Photography,
Life Drawing -
Franny Shuker-Haines, Director (1997)
B.A. Wesleyan University
English III, Drama I & II, Creative writing
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Timothy Shuker-Haines (1997)
B.A. Swarthmore College; M.A. San Francisco State University; Ph.D. University of Michigan
American History, The Western Tradition, Economics
All-School Trip -
Derek Yiu (2012)
B.A. University of Hawaii at Manoa: Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language; M.A. TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Monterey Institute of International Studies, Middlebury College
Intermediate ESL, Advanced ESL, Spanish I, Conversational Mandarin,
Gate House Dormitory, Soccer, Basketball, Indoor Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee
Testimonials
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"Buxton has given me the freedom to be the person I want to be, make the art I want to make, and learn the things I want to learn. At Buxton we learn not only in the classroom, but in the community. We learn how to be good to each other and how to support each other. Buxton has so much to offer students, both inside the classroom and outside of it."Great Barrington, MA
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“At Buxton you get to focus on what you want to be learning; whether it is social skills or in-depth studying- you learn to take responsibility of your education.”Troy, NY
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“Living your education means to not only learn things, but to use what you learn in your everyday life.”Mexico
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“To me, living your education means to be independent, to take charge, to not be afraid of asking for help, to learn from your peers, to love to learn, to take what you have learned from a loving environment and take it into the world.”New Hampshire
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“Your education is more than just your time in class, it’s your life as a whole. Learning is not limited to a teacher teaching you something in a classroom.”Missouri
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“To me, at Buxton, it’s not boundaries that you make, but the ones you break through.”New York, NY
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“At Buxton, I can choose what I want to do with my education. I can design my own path and invest my time studying topics that I’m really interested in.”New York, NY
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“At Buxton you can experience your intellectual development in a community that accepts your perspective of the world.”Mexico
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“I felt instantly at home when I stepped on the campus. At Buxton, we are in school 24/7. We learn things in the classroom, but we really learn valuable things outside of the classroom. We learn how to work with others and respect each other’s spaces. Our education surrounds us and we learn new things everyday.”Albany, NY
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“I chose Buxton over public school because I think I function better in a smaller environment. You’re able to get to know students and faculty on a deeper level, which is rare.”Williamstown, MA
